During a coaching session yesterday,
I was asked what I thought coaching was. The session was recorded (with mutual
consent) and the client transcribed my answer and emailed it back to me later.
I share it here as it feels appropriate.
For context my coaching style is 'Transpersonal': working with the client's
values, energy, vitality and spirit in an intuitive way. I coach for business,
career, wellness and cancer and I'm drawn to coaching with the client's shadow
side, which I've previously blogged about on my website (www.transitiontransformers.co.uk).I was coaching this client for business and
wellbeing.
It's a bit of a rant but here is what I said about coaching:

"Occasionally you get the 'a-ha' moments but actually I’m
coming more and more to the conclusion that it’s just spending time talking
about it [the client's issue] in this coaching way. This is the process.
Talking and being listened to, feeling and experiencing emotions, blubbing them
out, exploring them, wiping the tears away and then moving on. I coach a number
of people who’ve got a pretty grim, tough back story, some a lot harsher than
yours, a lot grimmer than yours. And it’s the same process, just being there
for them, talking and listening. The reason I can do that is because I have
been there, I’ve been to the dark side, I know what miserable is like, what
despair is like, what no hope is like, and I figured it out. So if I can figure
it out everybody else can. That gives me the confidence to walk with you, and
metaphorically speaking hold your hand as we meet your shadow, meet your dark
side, knowing that that’s enough, that’s all we need to do, we just need to get
in there and say hello. Once you can see yourself you’ll figure it out. That’s
all. But that is very important, that’s such a powerful process, and that’s how
coaching is therapeutic without being therapy per se; and that’s why this is
coaching and not counselling, but boy is it therapeutic."